\(\Rightarrow\) Most citizens still consume propaganda routinely and even trust it
Possible answers:
Our argument: Offering alternatives and expertise struggle under repression \(\Rightarrow\) target how people watch
Study effects of attentiveness to political news (co-authored with Anton Shirikov)
Sample: 4-wave online panel study in late 2023 (\(N = 1176\))
Treatment: At the end of waves 1–3 ask respondent to analyze 4–6 evening news headline segments from combination of three TV channels:
Do Russians notice differences in news coverage strategies? Yes
Do they adjust their media consumption? Somewhat
Yes: Lower support for the government and stronger concerns about Ukraine; Happens even after exposure to Rossiya-1 coverage only!
Those who are more critical of the government are more affected